


The Mystery of the Secret Lovers

by Sequesters



Category: Junior Express (TV)
Genre: Multi, PUTTING A RELATIONSHIP HERE WOULD BE SPOILERS
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-12
Updated: 2018-12-12
Packaged: 2019-09-16 21:24:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16961745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sequesters/pseuds/Sequesters
Summary: Natalio saw two people kissing on the Junior Express, and Captain Topa is determined to find out who.This is a birthday gift to Virfujiwara, and it's only on Tumblr so I need to put it here too





	The Mystery of the Secret Lovers

**Author's Note:**

  * For [virfujiwara](https://archiveofourown.org/users/virfujiwara/gifts).



         It was an early, early morning on the Junior Express.

               Captain Topa yawned, as he sipped his morning coffee and padded his way to the control cabin. It was day three of the journey from the Island of the Big Heads to the Love Station, and the lengthy journey was starting to fatigue him. Normally, the Junior Express travelled from station to station in short, single-day hops, but this one was a much longer journey.

               Topa didn’t really mind, however. From the submarine track through the ocean to the beautiful mountainous views, the scenery of this particular journey was absolutely stunning. Plus, he looked forward to the occasions that he got to have a shift as conductor, while Lila rested.

               “Hola Lila!” he greeted as he walked into the control cabin. “How was the night shift?”

               “Ay, I’m so glad you’re here!” said Lila, stretching in her chair like a cat, “Estoy MUY cansado.”

               “Well then, go and get some sleep. I will be…conductor Topa!” Topa announced, saluting her.

               Lila patted his cheek. “Yes, yes, I will see you in eight hours. Don’t forget to check the engine status every two hours,” she said, as she walked away.

               “Yes, Lila,” Topa said obediently, sitting down in her chair.

               “Oh, and don’t forget that if anything goes wrong, call me! And, call Harmony, in case I don’t come quick enough,” she said from behind him.

               “ _Yes, Lila,”_  Topa sighed, poring over the controls.

               Not even two minutes later, he heard the doors open behind him.

               “Lila, please, I KNOW how to conduct the monorail!” he said, annoyed, but when he turned around…it was NOT Lila.

               It was Natalio.

               “Oh, hello,” said Natalio, holding up his hand in a short wave. “Which way to the control cabin?”

               “You are here!” Topa announced.

               Natalio’s face lit up with a smile. “Que Bueno! Now…where is the captain?”

               Topa sighed.

               “Natalio, I AM the captain!” he said, gesturing to himself.

               “Oh, no no no no no, you are clearly…the  _conductor_ ,” said Natalio, gesturing to the conductor’s chair.

               “No, Natalio,” Topa insisted, “I  _am_  the captain! I am filling in for Lila, while she is resting.”

               Natalio blinked uncomprehendingly.

               Topa stood up out of the chair, and gestured to himself. “It’s me! Topa!”

               “Oh, Topa!” Natalio smiled brightly again, “Que Bueno, amigo!”

               “Si, que bueno,” Topa sighed, but smiling a little at the fact that Natalio remembered him as his friend.

               “I am so glad  _you_  are here, Conductor Topa,” Natalio continued, pointing at him, “Instead of the Captain.”

               Topa frowned.

               “Because,” Natalio continued smugly, “When I saw those two people kissing in the dining car today? They told me specifically NOT to tell the captain that I saw them.”

               Topa nearly dropped his coffee mug.

               “En serio?? Who was it??” he asked, desperate to know details.

               Natalio shrugged. “I don’t remember.”

               “What?” Topa squeaked, “You don’t REMEMBER? HOW do you not remember?”

               Natalio put his hand on Topa’s shoulder. “It’s very easy—you just forget!”

               Topa groaned. He was JUST getting started on his conductor shift! Why couldn’t Natalio have come in at the END with this gossip bomb??

               But, Topa would never let Lila down, so he sat back heavily into the conductor’s chair, and made a decision.

               “Okay, Natalio,” he said, taking a deep breath, “Later, when Lila comes back, we will look for clues and solve the mystery!”

               “Sounds good, Conductor Topa!” Natalio grinned, flashing hima  thumbs up, and he existed the control cabin.

               Topa slumped, and began to monitor the controls of the Junior Express with considerably less enthusiasm than before. Getting to be the conductor without Lila telling him to get out of her chair was a fun pastime, but regretfully, it was less exciting than the mystery of a secret romance.

-

               And so, the hours of Captain Topa’s conductor shift dragged on, ever so slowly. The mystery was BURNING inside of him, and he puzzled over it the entire time. Maybe it was just two passengers stealing kisses after breakfast, he thought at first. However…this particular trip didn’t really HAVE very many passengers, Topa had only seen two or three. Plus, why would passengers care what Natalio thought? Or what TOPA thought? No, it had to be somebody on the crew.  He tried to think about his whole crew in a new light, every friendship and acquaintanceship on the monorail now being called into question. Who was it? Was it a one-time thing? Was there a blossoming new romance onboard? Had one of the pairs of friends suddenly become…something more?

 _Why_ would they not want him to know about it?!

-

               When Lila finally came back, refreshed from her eight hour sleep, Topa was so deep in thought that he hardly noticed her come in.

               “Life of the conductor not exciting enough for you?” Lila asked, crossing her arms at his frown of deep concentration.

               “Ay, Lila, no!” Topa said, startled by her sudden appearance. “It isn’t that, it’s just-“ Topa looked around to ensure they were alone, and motioned her to lean closer to him.

               “Natalio came in here earlier,” he whispered, “And told me that he saw two people _kissing_ in the dining car this morning!”

               Lila raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

               “Yes! I have been sitting here, for eight hours, trying to figure out who it could be!” he said, flopping his hands down in frustration.

               Lila couldn’t hold back a smirk. “Ohh?” she said again, pursing her lips.

               Topa narrowed his eyes. “Was it  _you_ , Lila?”

               Lila rolled her eyes.

               “Captain  Topa, let me tell you something,” she said, smiling and placing a hand on his shoulder, “IF I were lucky enough to kiss someone…I would  _never_  keep it a secret. And, I would definitely TELL you before I let NATALIO do it.”

               “Ah, yes, of course you would, Lila,” Topa acknowledged, nodding.

               “Now, Topa?”

               “Yes, Lila?”

               She leaned in very close. “Get out of my chair.”

               “AH, of course, Lila,” Topa said, standing up quickly and gesturing back to the chair, “All yours. I have to go, I will see you later!”

-

               Topa existed the control cabin with a spring in his step. It was finally time to solve the mystery of the secret kiss!

               He only had to pass through two cars before he encountered Natalio, repairing the upholstery of a sofa.

               “Natalio!” Topa waved.

               Natalio straightened up, whirling around with his hammer still in his hand. “Hello, Topa!”

               Topa smiled wide. It was always nice when Natalio remembered his name.

               “Are you ready to solve the mystery?”

               “What mystery?”

               Topa sighed. “The mystery of who you saw kissing in the dining car this morning!”

               Natalio furrowed his brows. “I don’t remember telling you about that.”

               Topa groaned. “Nataliooo, you told me about it this morning! In the control cabin!”

               “No, that could NOT be possible,” Natalio explained, “Because I talked to the CONDUCTOR in the control cabin. And you, Topa, are the CAPTAIN!”

               “Ay, what a time to finally remember that fact,” Topa mumbled under his breath.

               “Fine, fine,” he said directly to Natalio, “The conductor told me all about it, shame on him for spilling the beans, now, can we look for clues?”

               Natalio considered for a moment, then nodded. “Vámanos!”

-

               When the two of them entered the dining car, it was completely empty.

               And, completely SPOTLESS.

               Francis had really outdone himself this time, the smooth tables were shiny enough to reflect Topa’s face, there was no trace of fingerprints on ANYTHING, and there was even a bouquet of flowers on each table.

               “Ay, this is too CLEAN for clues,” Topa lamented, “I think the only thing we have to go on are the clues inside your memory, Natalio.”

               “Sorry, Captain,” Natalio said, shrugging, “I have forgotten all of these so-called clues!”

               “Oh, mi amigo, there must be SOME way to he-!” Topa gasped, cutting himself off, as he got an idea.

               “Ayuda!” he called softly, as quietly as possible while still hopefully attracting the attention of-

               Right on cue, Harmony burst through the door. “AYUDA??? AYUD-“

               “Harmony! Shh!” Topa said, throwing an arm around her shoulders and bringing her close, “We need some help for a SECRET mission.”

               “Yes! Don’t tell anyone, but…” Topa looked around before whispering again, “Natalio saw two of our crew…KISSING, in the dining car.”

               Harmony gasped, a hand over her mouth. “Who??” she whispered.

               “Natalio!” Natalio said, waving at Harmony. “Natalio is me!”

               “I know _that_ ,” Harmony said, “But who was it that you saw?”

               She fiddled with her jacket. “Was…was it one of the Rulos?” she asked tentatively.

               “We don’t know, that’s the thing!” Topa exclaimed, pained by their predicament. “Natalio doesn’t remember!”

               “Ohh!” she said, brightening up, “You need help finding it in Natalio’s memory!”

               “Oh, is it any use?” Topa asked, “Natalio cannot remember ANYTHING!”

               “On the contrary, Captain Topa,” Harmony said, “I suspect that Natalio remembers a lot more than we give him credit for. If you show him how to repair a machine? He NEVER forgets it.”

               “Well, the machines of the monorail  _are_  my specialty!” Natalio piped up.

               “I think maybe, you could remember what you are looking for,” Harmony continued, addressing Natalio, “if you use the right technique.”

               “What technique?” Natalio and Topa asked together.

               “Let me show you,” Harmony said, rubbing her hands together.

               “Assume the Thinker’s Position!” she called, and dropped to one knee, head down, placing her fist under her chin.

               Natalio did the same, and Topa followed too.

               “Now breathe…inhale…exhale…inhale…exhale” Harmony murmured, voice like a ripple in a pond, “clear your mind…and let your thoughts and memories flow through you.”

               The men followed her example.

               “Now, Natalio…dig deep into your memories, and mentally retrace your steps,” she said gently, “What do you remember about this morning?”

               “I remember,” Natalio mumbled, “I remember…I woke up early this morning.”

               “Go on,” Harmony said.

               “I changed a lightbult in the sleeping car…”

               “Go on,” Topa said.

               “I…” Natalio’s eyes were squinted tight with effort, “I ate…breakfast! In the dining car with…the Rulos, and we all left together.”

               Topa tried to contain his excitement. This walk down memory lane was the longest unbroken stretch Natalio had ever accomplished!

               “I went back into the dining car, because…I forgot something, and-“ Natalio paused, and gasped.

               “Oh! I remember something!” Natalio said, jumping up and pointing his finger in the air.

               “What?” Topa and Harmony gasped together, jumping up as well.

               “They were wearing…”

               Topa and Harmony looked at each other excitedly. A description of an outfit would be MORE than enough to identify the secret lovers!

               “SHOES!” Natalio announced, with a self-satisfied grin.

               Topa slumped in disappointment.

               “Ohh, Na-TAL-iooo, EVERYONE wears shoes aboard the Junior Express!” he said, grabbing at his own hair, “You MUST know that, it’s standard protocol!”

               Natalio looked down at his socked feet.

               “Well, then, I must be going. Don’t want to cause a health code violation! Permiso,” he said, running off.

               Topa sat down and put his head in his hands.

               “I didn’t even NOTICE that he didn’t have shoes on all this time,” he lamented.

               “Well,” Harmony said, struggling to stay positive, “Um…at least we know it WASN’T any of the Rulos?”

               “I guess,” Topa conceded, “But we were so close to finding out WHO it was!”

               A distant call of AYUDAAAAA came from another part of the train.

               “Sorry, Captain, I must be going!” Harmony said, jumping up and pushing her cart away.

               Topa looked around at the empty room he was left with and sighed. He might NEVER find out what was going on.

-

               Over the next hour or so, Topa paced to the end of the monorail and all the way back to the dining car, desperately trying to think of ANY way that he could guess who it was.

               Nothing. He came up with nothing.

               He was just about to call it quits when he LITERALLY ran into Doris in the dining car.

               “Ay! Watch where you are GOING, Captain!” Doris said, quite clearly frazzled.

               “Whoa, what’s going on?” he asked, throwing his hands up defensively.

               “Oh, I’m just trying to FIND something VERY IMPORTANT!!” Doris snapped, turning to the sofa and helping Josefina rummaging around in the cushions.

               Topa looked to Josefina. “She lost her tape measure,” she explained, “Best not to bother her until she finds it.”

               “Ugh! Where could it have GONE?!” Doris held her hands up to the sky, like she was angry at God for letting her misplace her tape measure. “I will NEVER find it, it is HOPELESS!”

               “Cálmate, Doris,” Josefina said, placing a calming hand on her shoulder, “Let’s look over here.”

               Topa was JUST on his way again when Natalio poked his head into the dining car.

               “Excuse me, which way to the co-Topa!” he said, waving him down.

               “Yes, Natalio?” Topa responded, surprised that Natalio had addressed him by name three times in one day.

               “I’ve been trying that new pose that Harmony taught me, and I am remembering things much better now!” he said excitedly, “Look, I even remembered to put on my shoes!”

               Sure enough, Natalio had put his boots on since the last time that Topa saw him.

               “That’s wonderful, Natalio!” Topa said, “Do you want to try one more time to remember…you know…this morning?” he dropped his voice lower so Doris and Josefina wouldn’t hear.

               “Sure, let me try,” Natalio said.

               “Ugh, could you be quiet?” Doris snapped from the other side of the room. “I can’t concentrate when you are yap-yap-yapping away!”

               Topa groaned. “Doriiiis, we are trying to find out wh-“

               “Callate!” she shouted, snapping her fingers shut as if it were a closing mouth, and advanced on Topa.

               “I don’t have time for all of your ‘Ando Buscando’ mystery nonsense, my tape measure has been missing ALL DAY, and we will be at the Love Station by MORNING, and I NEED IT TO FINISH YOUR COSTUMES!!!” she shrieked, brandishing a half-sewn jacket at the two of them.

               “Oh, you mean this?” Natalio asked, pulling the gigantic tape measure out of his tool belt.

               Doris froze.

               “Why do you have Doris’ tape measure?” Topa asked.

               “Well, I simply picked it up off the ground of the dining car.”

               “In the dining car? Here?” Doris asked.

               “Yes!” Natalio said.

               “…When?” asked Josefina.

               “Ahh…” he pondered, and sunk down into the Thinker pose that Harmony had taught him, to the confusion of Doris and Josefina. “It was…this morning! Right before I came to the control cabin to see you, Topa.”

               Topa raised an eyebrow.  “This morning? You mean…around the time that you-“

               Topa let out a small gasp and swiveled his head toward Doris, who suddenly looked like she would rather be ANYWHERE else.

               And, for that matter, so did Josefina.

Topa’s eyes widened.

               He had figured it out!

               “You!” he blurted, before he could stop himself.

               “W-well!” Doris said, yanking the measuring tape out of Natalio’s hands, “Thank you VERY much Natalio, but, now that I have my tape measure back, uh, Josefina and I must be off, because-because-lots to do, thinks to sew, c-costumes to finish, you understand, right? Bye bye!!!”

               “Doris, wait!” Topa called after her. “It’s okay! You don’t have to h-“

               She spared one more look at him, and the pure fear in her eyes made the words die in his throat.

               Doris broke eye contact, and raced back into the dressing room.

-

               Topa sat alone in the dining car, staring into the brown swirls of his nightly cup of tea.

               How could this all have went so wrong in only one day?

               “Captain?” came a voice from the door.

               Topa looked up to see Harmony, peeking in. “Necesitas algo de…ayuda?”

               “No, no,” Topa sighed deeply. “Not anymore.”

               “What do you mean, not anymore?”

               “Well…I solved the mystery,” Topa said weakly, giving an almost sarcastic thumbs-up, before he flopped his hands back down again.

               Harmony took a seat next to him. “You don’t seem very happy about it.”

               “Well, it’s because…” Topa put his face in his hands, “Oh, Harmony…they seemed so SCARED.”

               “Well, Topa…” Harmony sighed, “they  _are_.”

               Topa blinked in surprise, and looked up at her. “You  _know_?”

               Harmony nodded. “They  _think_  I don’t, but…they are my two best friends. Ya lo sé.”

               Topa shrugged. Fair enough. He stirred his tea and took a long sip.

               “Harmony, why would they want to hide from  _me_?” Topa said, after a heavy silence.

               “Well, if we want to answer that question, let us put ourselves in their shoes,” Harmony said, infusing a bit of her problem-solving energy into her tone. “And think about how we would feel. Imagine, that you live, and work, with the same handful of people, one of which is your boss.”

               Topa laughed. “Believe it or not, I  _can_  imagine that.”

               “But, you have a secret,” Harmony continued, “The secret is that you are in love. And you must choose between keeping your love a secret forever from the people you trust most, or opening yourself up to the possibility…that they will not accept you, or even hate you, because of this love.”

                Topa nodded, ignoring the sudden lump in his throat.

               Harmony sighed. “Topa, it is much harder being the one to ask for acceptance rather than the one who already knows he would give it freely.”

               That clicked in Topa’s mind.

               “Ahhh, comprendo,” Topa said, “It’s not easy being-uhm-being-“ Topa choked on the word, so he skipped it, “Even if you know you have the greatest crewmates in the whole w-world, it’s still scary to think of-if they found out, and they didn’t-didn’t-“ Topa choked on his tears, unable to continue.

               Harmony touched him on the shoulder as he tried to control his sobs.

               He wiped the tears from his face. “I’m-I’m-I’m fine, I just-“ he swallowed hard, “Understand. Them, I mean. I really…really do.”

               Harmony put her hand over his hand. “I think…I think you need to tell them that.”

-

               The dressing room was dark when Topa entered, the moonlight bathing the room in just enough light to see that it was deserted.

               “D-doris?” Topa ventured.

               He heard a sniffle from the jacket closet. Was she in there?

               “Doris?” he said, stronger this time, approaching the closet and knocking on the door.

               “Go away,” came a muffled voice from the inside.

               “Doris, please, let me talk to you,” Topa pleaded, pouring all the sincerity he was capable of into his voice.

               There was a bit of mumbled whispering, and then the door opened.

               Doris and Josefina were both inside, sitting on the ground amongst the shoes, hands clasped together.

               Topa looked from one to the other. Josefina looked fairly calm, but Doris…

               Doris was a mess, makeup running from her tears, jacket disheveled, holding onto Josefina’s hand like her life depended on it.

               “Please, Captain…don’t be angry,” Doris said quietly, and her unusually wavery voice broke Topa’s heart.

               “ _Why_ would I be-“ Topa started, and then remembered what Harmony said.

_Put yourself in their shoes. How would you feel?_

               “I-I am not angry, Doris,” he tried again, “I promise. IN fact…I am so excited for you!”

               Both of them looked taken aback.

               “You ARE?” they said together.

               “Claro que si!” he said, kneeling down and clasping their connected hands in his, “I think it is so  _special_  that you both have found someone to love, and that you…connect with, as well as you do, and I am so sorry for anything that I did that made you feel like you have to  _hide_  that on the Junior Express.”

               Doris looked at him, eyes shimmering with tears.

               “Especially because, well-“ he swallowed hard, heart beating fast and heavy in his ears, “I’m gay, too,” he whispered.

               Doris and Josefina gasped, and looked at each other.

               “Awwwww,” they said simultaneously, and rushed forward to embrace the captain.

-

               The next morning, Topa and the Rulos woke up bright and early, ready to perform for the Love Station.

               “Topa!!” called Doris, cheerfully running up to him, “I have finally finished your jaaaackeeeeet!!!” she said in a singsong voice.

               “Gracias, Doris!” he said, gratefully accepting it.

               “Josefina and I stayed up ALL night just to finish it,” Doris said, yawning, “We wanted it to be…JUST right.”

               Topa turned the jacket around to view the back, and gasped.

               “Es perfecto, Doris,” Topa said, beaming, “Absolutamente perfecto.”

               “De nada,” Doris said, waving an arm in the air, “Just go out there and have fun, okay?”

               “I will!” Topa promised, hugged her, and ran off as the monorail slowed to a stop.

-

               And so, as usual, Topa and the Rulos went out to sing their little song about Love to all of the extremely excited little kids at the Love Station.

               Topa LOVED performing for kids. Coming out onto the stage and seeing all of those smiling and laughing faces filled HIM with childlike excitement as well. He waved at them, and a flurry of hands waved back.

               Oh, these kids. These kids were all too young to know about complicated things yet. They knew nothing about romance, or orientations, or bigotry–yet. But Topa always sort of secretly hoped that the songs that he and the Rulos sang would last in those kids’ memories as they got older, and that they would tackle the problems of the world with the same enthusiasm with which they stomped their tiny feet to the beat of the songs.

               This day, with this PARTICULAR song, was definitely no exception.

               So Topa stepped up to the microphone and sung his heart out, singing about sharing love with the entire world with more energy and passion than any concert he had ever performed before.

               And as they hit their last note, Captain Topa spun around and struck a dramatic pose, revealing the enormous double rainbow sewn carefully into the back of his jacket.

               With love.


End file.
